


we've come full circle

by Sternstunde



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Gen, basically a over the years thing, just sth small to be sentimental about
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-30
Updated: 2019-04-30
Packaged: 2020-02-10 10:53:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18658990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sternstunde/pseuds/Sternstunde
Summary: “... Klaus?”Klaus blinks, glances at the ghost of his dead brother again, and smiles bitterly, his eyes reflecting the cruel realization Ben’s making at the moment.“Oh,” he lets out, still feeling the need to scream, shout and let everyone know that he’s in pain. Instead he’s smiling as he looks at empty air in the eyes of others. “That’s unfortunate, don’t you agree?”-Ben and Klaus over the years.





	we've come full circle

 

“... Klaus?”

 

He looks up from scribbling onto his wall, to see Ben peek into his room from behind the door. He’s biting his lips and avoiding his gaze like he’s scared of Klaus.

 

But Klaus understands, so he smiles brightly at his brother. “Come in, no worries!”

 

Ben nods, before he steps in, closing the door behind him. Then he walks to the bed and stays put, clutching his pillow, that he brought with him. Klaus tugs the blanket to the side, before he says, “Hop in, Benny. I’ll protect you from anything!”

 

“Even… even from m-myself?”

 

Klaus frowns at that before he smiles gently.

 

“From everyone, Ben.”

 

And then Ben nods and crawls into the bed to lie down. Klaus lies down beside him and covers them with the blanket.

 

“Thank you, Klaus.”

 

“Always for you.”

 

_And always it was._

 

* * *

 

_“K-Klaus?”_

 

Klaus drops the plate he holds in his hand, without a thought, letting it shatter on the ground without a care. His eyes widen as he realizes who stands before him: his goddamn brother stands there.

 

Blue light glowing gently in contrast with the flagrant, red blood dripping down his chest. Ben’s own eyes mirror his pain and fear, scream at him to tell him what happened, why he can’t feel himself anymore and where he’s lost.

 

They are surrounded by the wails of many ghosts, and none of those ghosts even try to give them their silence, not even just for this moment. Ben glances around the room, seeing creatures he’s never seen, his eyes terrified but also oddly dull.

 

Klaus wants to scream.

 

“Klaus?”

 

Vanya’s staring at him, confusion evident in her eyes, not realizing what has happened. Of course not. How could she know? _How could anyone else know?_

 

He smiles bitterly at the air in front of him, and Vanya is getting their mother, who looks at him with concern and a worried smile on her face.

 

_“... Klaus?”_

 

Klaus blinks glances at the ghost of his dead brother again, and smiles bitterly, his eyes reflecting the cruel realization Ben’s making at the moment.

 

“Oh,” he lets out, still feeling the need to scream, _shout_ and let everyone know that he’s in pain. Instead, he’s smiling as he looks at the empty air in the eyes of others. “That’s unfortunate, don’t you agree?”

 

Grace and Vanya look at him with confusion, but before they can ask, they hear the front door slam against the wall and Luther runs in the kitchen, Ben’s dead body in his arms. Vanya gasps and Grace walks up to Luther, taking Ben into her arms. No, taking _Ben’s body_ into her arms.

 

“He- I don’t how - but ple-”

 

“Too late, he’s already dead,” Klaus interrupts Luther, empty, cold gaze staring at his dead brother’s ghost.

 

Luther wants to yell at him in denial, wants to ask him to stop joking, but then he sees the expression on his face and realizes who he’s talking to. Klaus and Ben have always gotten along the best, have always spent a lot of time together.

 

Luther realizes, that Klaus wouldn’t joke about it and lays off, leaving Klaus to feel relieved (years later though, Luther forgets this realization anyway).

 

Klaus looks at Ben and shakes his head gently.

 

“The best people always leave first.”

 

It will resonate through Ben’s mind for centuries.

 

But still, he replies jokingly, not wanting to admit the truth.

 

“But Five left first.”

 

* * *

 

_“Klaus…”_

 

The funeral is six days later. _Six._

 

Their father says a few - six - words, reveals the statue and leaves. Ben glares at it, mumbling, _“doesn’t even look like me.”_

 

Klaus has to agree with that - the statue is beyond hideous. Benny _is_ a handsome body.  

 

His siblings are staring at his grave, whispering goodbyes and dreams to Ben.

 

“I hope,” Allison speaks up, closing her eyes, “you’re in a better place now.”

 

Klaus looks to the statue, where Ben’s sitting, head in his hands. Well, guess her wish won’t come true anytime soon.

 

 _“Thank you, Allison,”_ Ben mutters anyway because he’s a decent person. Or a decent ghost.

 

They all speak their words, and leave to go inside and probably cry some more, but without company. Diego is definitely going to do that.

 

Klaus stays behind, and his siblings let him be.

 

“This is ridiculous,” he speaks up when they are alone.

 

 _“They meant well though.”_ Ben looks at the flowers on his grave, admiring their colors.

 

“Sometimes,” Klaus whispers, looking up at the sky, which is filled with gray clouds, ”that’s not enough.”

 

He knows the meaning of that sentence by heart - it’s his whole life story.

 

* * *

 

_“Klaus!”_

 

He stays after Ben’s death, gets high and drunk, laughs at everything or cries at everything, and watches as Ben stops vanishing like all the other ghosts when he’s high, watches how Ben frets over him when he knows, that he does not deserve it.

 

Ben starts to change a bit every day. He starts to stop thinking about his death so much, speaks up when he’s annoyed (God, he used to hide all his annoyance and pain before) and scolds Klaus.

 

It’s funny and painful to watch the change.

 

_That’s what death does to you._

 

He lives on like that until one day, when their father walks in and tells him he has extra training.

 

Klaus is horrified because Ben doesn’t know what his extra training is, has made sure to never tell him about it, to hide it. But Ben’s death, can _and_ will follow him this time.

 

 _“Extra training,”_ Ben says, looking at him with confusion.

 

Extra training used to go one for more than one day, so it would be weird to say he’s training for like four days or something, and the media would ask questions if he missed too many missions.

 

So, their father made him lie, made him say he was sickly.

 

To his siblings, when he was missing, he was somewhere else to recover quietly, to the media, their father was an understanding and kind man, just for following the basic needs, for doing the humane thing.

 

He walks behind his father, his steps slow, hands shaking.

 

Ben trails behind him, still confused but also curious. God, he doesn’t know how Ben will take this.

 

He doesn’t take it at all.

 

Ben gasps horrified, when they arrive at the mausoleum, see the ghosts swarming it, hears the voices talking and screaming.

 

And then he watches how their father locks Klaus in the mausoleum with six water bottles and a, “I’ll be back in six days.”

 

Klaus sits on the floor, back pressed against the wall and hands wrapped around himself, too scared to move.

 

Ben stares at him, understanding dawning on him, and eyes filled with fright and abhorrence at their father.

 

_“You were never sick, weren’t you?”_

 

A few seconds, then he replies.

 

“Not once.”

 

* * *

 

_"Klaus?"_

 

Ben stares at him in confusion, unable to fully comprehend what he is doing, until Klaus takes a bag out of his closet and fills it with the clothes and things he's laid onto his bed just minutes ago.

 

_"Klaus… are you leaving?"_

 

Klaus smiles at his dead brother, but it doesn't reach his eyes, and Ben understands.

 

He understands in the way he sees Klaus' hands tremble, sees the way his eyes are dull and his lips red.

 

Klaus takes the bag, the money he’s stolen and leaves.

 

Ben, as always, follows him.

 

It’s just how it is.

 

And right now, it’s for the best.

 

* * *

 

_“Klaus!”_

 

It’s the sixth overdose.

 

The sixth overdose, the sixth time Ben has called his name to no response, the sixth shock and still nothing.

 

It’s the sixth time Klaus died, and he isn’t waking up this time.

 

_“Klaus… you idiot!”_

 

His heart is beating, and after one hour and six minutes he wakes up.

 

_Six, six, six._

 

Everywhere is number six, nowhere is Number Six.

 

Klaus gazes at him, green eyes staring at him, a haunted vibe to them.

 

Behind Number Six, there’s still Number Four left.

 

It’s the fourth time out of six times, that Klaus doesn’t say anything to comfort him, and Ben fears for his brother, fears the meaning behind this all, fear for four

 

_Four, four, four._

 

The silence is familiar.

 

* * *

 

_“Klaus, are you okay?”_

 

He’s at rehab, there are ghosts everywhere.

 

He is not okay.

 

He doesn’t tell Ben though.

 

* * *

 

_“...Klaus?”_

 

Ben has changed so much over the years. Is someone different now, wears other colors to him, and has adjusted to death, to the unknown.

 

He looks up to Ben. It feels weird being on a couch in his childhood home, well, not that it was much of a home.

 

_“Five… he…”_

 

Five’s alive.

 

Ben knows, always knew, the days Klaus spent sobering himself up, to summon Five, to find answers to his questions. Klaus never wanted to summon Five, never wanted to feel that horrible feeling, when he would have to confirm that their brother was dead - no, he was more happy to think about how Five escaped and found freedom from their father, from that hell.

 

But Ben.

 

Ben always got along with Five.

 

Ben wanted to know, and Ben deserved to know, so Klaus tried, felt so fucking relieved when he told Ben that he couldn’t summon Five, because either he fucked the summoning up or Five was alive.

 

Yeah, Klaus feared his powers, but he could summon dead people. Only did it a few times though, too scared to try more, outright refused to do them, when Reginald asked.

 

As a present for stopping he got extra training.

 

 _“I’m glad,”_ says Ben, smiling genuinely the first time in months.

 

And Klaus? Klaus hates himself, because that smile reminds him just how much his brother is suffering because of him, so he looks to the side.

 

“The best people always leave first, Ben, they always do.”

 

* * *

 

_“Klaus! You are here - oh my God, I was searchi… Klaus?”_

 

 **Blood. Everywhere was blood**.

 

He can feel his knees digging into the stone pavement, knows he’ll have scrapes there, but the pain doesn’t bother him, because as child scrapes on his knees and scratches on his arm were normal. The mausoleum is made out of cold, cold stone, earth and dust.

 

_“Klaus, are you okay?”_

 

Klaus can only think about the gunshots, the mud and the laughter of fellow soldiers.

 

He can only think about Dave’s sunshine smile, and his blue eyes, resembling the sky.

 

Dave’s gone, gone, gone, _gone, gone, gon-_

 

_“Klaus, can you hear me?”_

 

And he can.

 

He can hear the hushed sound of his brother’s voice, the brother who he hasn’t seen for 10 months, who he missed so much.

 

He looks up, Ben’s worried gaze on him.

 

“... Ben… ,” he says, his voice wavering, _breaking_.

 

_“Klaus… ?”_

 

Tears are trailing down Klaus’ cheeks, and Ben’s eyes widen, he reaches out to wish them away, even though he knows he can’t.

 

That’s just so like him.

 

Klaus chuckles before he starts sobbing.

 

“I missed you, Ben.”

 

He just loses and loses, all over again.

 

He loses against life all the time.

 

* * *

 

_“Klaus?!”_

 

He just lost against life.

 

He opens his eyes to Ben’s horrified gaze.

 

“Ben...,” he mutters, voice weak and raw.

 

_“Oh my God - Klaus, are you okay?”_

 

Ah, God. Right, that little girl who kicked him out, because she didn’t like him.

 

He started chuckling, ignoring people’s offers to call an ambulance and stood up to look at where Luther should be.

 

He isn’t there anymore.

 

Ben follows his gaze and frowns, his eyes murderous and guilty.

 

_“I’m sorry I told you he’d help you… he cle-”_

 

“You weren’t wrong, you know,” he interrupts his brother.

 

Ben blinks, confusion settling in his gaze.

 

“He would have helped any sibling, but… maybe it’s just me that can’t be helped anymore.”

 

 _“Klaus!”_ Ben yells, appalled at his words.

 

Luther would have helped him, maybe when they were children, but times have changed, and so do people. Luther can still change back though.

 

“I’m going to stay sober,” he mutters instead and leaves, Ben, trailing behind him, demanding answers.

 

* * *

 

_“Klaus?”_

 

Ben just fucking punched him, right into his lovely face.

 

God bless.

 

* * *

 

_“Klaus…!”_

 

Vanya is currently in the process of destroying the world.

 

He’s currently in the process of keeping Ben corporeal to fight of time assassins.

 

If he puts it like that, it sounds like they are having quite a delightful time.

 

“Klaus, what the fuck?!” Diego is screaming at him, and he wants to laugh at his face, but he has to concentrate right now, it’s honestly irritating.

 

Then shit fucks up, Allison manages to subdue Vanya, but she shoots her power beam - or whatever the hell that is - to the moon and Klaus can’t help but think, _Hey Luther, the moon wasn’t useless._

 

And he genuinely means it, because their father had a way of knowing shit, he shouldn’t have known, but it’s not like that matters a lot.

 

Then they try to time-travel and he wonders if he will die this time.

 

* * *

 

“Ben…?”

 

Ben looks up from his book to see Klaus peek into his room from behind the door. He’s biting his lips, but staring into his eyes for a few minutes, before he glances to his left.

 

Ben understands, so he smiles gently at his brother. “Don’t worry, come in.”

 

Klaus closes the door before he runs to Ben’s bed and jumps onto it, hiding under the blanket.

 

They’re a 13 again.

 

They have come full circle.

 

“They are scary Ben.” Come Klaus muffled words from under the blanket.

 

“I know,” Ben replies.

 

Then he puts a hand on Klaus’ head and ruffles his hair.

 

“But I’m here now, so don’t you worry…”

 

Klaus drags the blanket a bit down, and looks at him, eyes full of warmth.

 

“...Klaus.”

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know what exactly I wanted from this, but emotions it is.


End file.
